Salvation

Why Do I Need Jesus?

The Bible, first book first chapter, tells us that God created people in his own image with the capacity to experience love and relationship. God did not create robots who would automatically love God and follow his instructions, but God gave humans free will -- the opportunity to love and worship God and, at the same time, freedom to reject God.

Chapter three of Genesis tells how the first humans chose to do life their own way instead of God's way. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, however, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because God is holy and cannot tolerate evil, our sin has separated us from God.

Through the centuries, people have tried to find God by doing good things and performing religious rituals, but no amount of human effort has resulted in human beings finding God on their own. God, however, made a plan to restore relationship with his people. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was fully God and yet, at the same time, fully human. Because Jesus was fully God, he was sinless. Because Jesus was fully human, he could die for (pay the punishment for) the sins of the world on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave, Jesus conquered sin and death for all time.

It is through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that God opened the way for us -- and all of humanity -- to connect with him. John 14:6 says, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So, How Do I Accept Jesus?

Step 1. Understand that your sin has separated you from God and you are spiritually lost without a Savior. (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 3:23)

Step 2. Believe that Jesus is God, God in the flesh when he lived on earth, and that he died and rose from the dead for the sins of the world. (John 1:1; Romans 10:8-10; Hebrews 10:10)

Step 3. Repent of your sin. When you repent, it means that you see your sin the way God sees your sin and it grieves you. Repenting also means that you turn from your sin to live a new life in Christ. (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 7:10)

Step 4. Accept Jesus as your Savior and your Lord.

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, it means that you trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins. (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7)

When you accept Jesus as your Lord, it means that you surrender your will to his and follow him in obedience. (Luke 6:46; John 14:15; Romans 6:11-14)

You can start by confessing your faith to God in a simple prayer. Use your own words to tell God that you accept his gift of salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Then you can tell a family member or a friend.

God's spirit, the Holy Spirit, will come to live inside you and he will teach you, encourage you, convict you and guide you. (John 14:26; Ephesians 1:13-14)

What's Next?

Congratulations! If you just accepted Jesus as your Savior, welcome to God's family!

Here at Generations, we believe that everyone has a next step!

If you've just put your faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord, your very first step is Christian baptism. The book of Acts is the story of the launch of the early church. Every person who accepted Christ in the book of Acts was baptized immediately into Christ. (Acts 2:41) Baptism is an important step in connecting to Christ. (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27) Click here for more about baptism.

The early Christians lived out their faith in the community of the church. (Acts 2:42-47) We are excited that you have professed your faith in Christ and, if you live in the Tampa Bay area, we invite you to come this weekend and get connected at Generations to worship, grow and serve.

The Care Room (in The Gathering) is open after every weekend service and our trained prayer counselors will listen and pray with you.

At Next Steps (in The Gathering or online), you can pick up a free Bible and explore your next steps of obedience to Christ.

If you do not live in the Tampa Bay area, we encourage you to get connected to a Bible-believing Christ-honoring church near you to worship, grow and serve.